Organizational Consulting Project

Overview

MARA 294 Professional Experience, Option: Organizational Consulting Project

Students who come into the MARA program with at least three years of work experience in archives and/or records management have the option of undertaking an Organizational Consulting Project when enrolled in MARA 294, Professional Experience. See the Organizational Consulting Project Handbook.

Qualifying for the Organizational Consulting Project Option

To qualify for the Organizational Consulting Project option, you must:

  1. Be matriculated in the MARA degree program.
  2. Remain in good academic standing (3.0 CUM GPA or above).
  3. Meet the following Prerequisites: Have completed MARA 200, 204, and six advanced courses.
  4. Submit one letter of recommendation from a MARA instructor to the MARA 294 Instructor.
  5. Receive approval of the MARA 294 Instructor.

Completing the Requirements

If you meet the qualifications, you must self-register for MARA 294 through MySJSU. Through consultation with the MARA 294 Instructor, you will identify an organizational consulting project that you identified on your own or that was submitted by an individual or an organization that will serve as the “client.”

You and the client will agree upon deliverables which can be recommendations, proposals or other products (e.g., training programs and accompanying manuals and podcasts, revision of a records retention schedule based on a corporate merger, and development of a records management policy for a company that has none) that can be implemented or used by the client organization. A copy of or link to the completed project (or other documentation that the project has been completed), a form indicating satisfactory completion signed and dated by the client, and a final report discussing the project and your personal experience are required for satisfactory completion of the course.

You are expected to devote a minimum of 135 hours to this project during the term in which it is taken.

Evaluating the Experience

Several instruments will be used to evaluate your participation in this course. The actual method or combination of methods used for evaluation will depend on the project selected, learning outcomes, and assignments. Some or all of the following will be requested upon completion of the course:

  1. Participation. You will be required to enroll in an online course (MARA 294) and contribute to the online discussion and participate in in-class exercises.
  2. Project log. You will be required to maintain an ongoing record of the hours you’ve worked and your activities. Further information regarding the project log will be available through the online course.
  3. Project Report.You will be required to prepare a professional project final report (based upon the learning outcomes identified for the project) discussing how those outcomes were (or were not) accomplished. A copy of the final report must be submitted to the instructor through the Canvas learning management system along with the final project or, in the case of a project that is not a document (e.g. an electronic records management system or database), along with access information or other documentation so that the instructor can access the final project.